Tag Archives: Fast Break

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill looks to prepare players for reading on the run. In many fast break situations both the offense and defence number each other equally and so good choices need to be made as to if there is an advantage to exploited or if not. In cases where the here is no advantage, the ball should be slowed down for set-up into the half-court offense of the team. This slowing of the ball though does not mean that no options cannot be explored. The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill looks to simulate this situation by combining a number of different variables together and forcing players to react faster and instinctively.

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill starts with four lines of players across the halfway line of a court. No line is either offense or defence. However, two of the lines will form one team (Circles) while the other two lines for another team (Triangles).

2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill Diagram 1

Who is on offense or defence will be determined by whom the coach passes the basketball to.

The Coach starts with the ball and dribbles/walks across the halfway line. At any moment, the coach can pass/hand the ball to any player in one of the four lines.

In the diagram above the Coach starts walking across the court and passes the ball to Two (2). This means Two (2) and One (1) are on offense and the opposing two lines become defence (Three and Four).

Fast break principles should be implemented within the 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill and players should be discouraged from taking poor shots for the sake of shooting the ball. If the defence recovers and stifles the offense. Then the offensive players should utilise tactical elements such as an on-ball screen or drive and relocate.

By instructing offensive players to not allow the ball to simply be held up will allow options to be explored that can lead to scoring opportunities from when a fast break finishes, to when the half-court offense starts. This will in turn eliminate “gaps” from within a team’s offense. By always challenging and probing an oppositions defence the offense will be able to seize upon breakdowns and weaknesses that are shown.

Variations

Once players start to make a higher percentage of correct choices within the 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill. Add another line to the each team so now the situation is 3 v 3. This will put more bodies on the court and create a greater amount of confusion.

Another option is to move the starting point further and further down the court. Extending the distance the ball has to travel to the basket makes the challenge for the offense all the more significant.

The 2 v 2 Evens Fast Break Drill is a simplistic activity that makes it suitable for a wide range of different playing levels. Taking the time to implement and gain some success for this fast break drill will result in a more efficient offense and better reads taken by players on the court.

The 4 v 4 Advantage Drill looks to bring an incentive for teams to push the ball up the floor and attack quickly from either a Fast Break or an Offensive Transition situation. The 4 v 4 Advantage Drill encourages this by artificially creating a numbers advantage for the offensive team during transition from one end of the floor to the other. The principle of the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill can be applied to any fast break, offensive transition or half court system. This makes the drill exceptionally useful and extremely versatile for use.

The 4 v 4 Advantage Drill starts with players playing in the half court.

4 v 4 Advantage Drill Diagram 1

If the offensive team scores or the defence rebounds the ball, the player who shoots, before taking part in transition defence, has to run and touch the baseline.

In the diagram above Three (3) once shooting the ball if it scores, or the defending team secures possession, then will have to go and touch the baseline before then moving onto defence.

The defensive team once securing possession from either inbounding the ball following score or rebounding a missed shot moves straight into offensive transition.

If the ball is stolen or deflected then a 4 v 4 situation occurs without a player needing to touch the baseline.

Points of Note

One of the main benefits for the using the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill is that the effect is only temporary. This allows the advantage principle to be integrated into a wide range of activities, but used consistently to improve the early scoring execution of a team. One point of note commonly overlooked is that the advantage principle is applied to reach a scoring situation, but this can be more than just one scoring situation. Stopping the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill after a score while initially providing an opportunity for feedback, should be extended to multiple possessions so players have to apply the scoring system of the team in many different situations that arise in normal play.

Additionally, just because the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill looks to create an advantage in the fast break or transition situations faced by a team, it will not guarantee teams a scoring option. In some cases, the shot that is presented will not be the right option for the team. For example, the free player might receive the ball in a position outside of their own shooting range, and therefore a poor option would be for this player to shoot. In these situations, the offensive team should continue with the offensive play for general play. By having this mindset when applying the advantage principle it can be used in many 4 v 4 or 5 v 5 activities, but still creating an incentive for teams to push the ball and look for an early scoring opportunity.

Variation

The easiest variation for the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill is to increase or decrease the number of players involved in the activity. For teams that are implementing the principles of passing the ball ahead and scoring consistently, adding an additional player will have the effect of making 5 v 5 situations that will be the most game like scenario possible. Adding an additional defender will make scoring for the offense a little more challenging. Especially if the focus of an offensive team is to pass ahead and find the overlap.

For teams that are struggling initially with the implementation of an offensive philosophy during a fast break. It can be of assistance to reduce the number of players involved in the drill. Starting the 4 v 4 Advantage Drill’s progression with only three players can be of assistance, especially with junior teams. Having fewer players on the court will allow for greater width between offensive players so the defenders are spread greater which should result in better driving lanes for each individual. Additionally, less defenders means less effective help defence that again will assist with offensive players scoring more easily.

The 4 v 4 Advantage Drill looks to provide time for an offensive team to practice, refine and master the fast break and offensive transition phases of their playbook. The 4 v 4 Advantage Drill helps provide successful experiences through encouraging a team to push the ball, find the open player and scoring. Just because a team has a numbers advantage does not mean the result will always be a broken play score, but rather the optimum outcome is for players to find the right scoring option for the team.

The One and Done Fast Break Drill looks to promote the physical activity and intensity of players displayed when advancing the ball up the floor. This is achieved within the drill by limiting the amount of dribbles any one player can take at any one time. The One and Done Fast Break Drill will help a team to increase their effort and offensive awareness by asking players even more than one pass away from the ball to take an active responsibility in advancing a ball down the court.

The One and Done Fast Break Drill starts by having three players line-up along the baseline at one end of the court. The court is broken up into three lanes. The middle consists of the width of the Keyway from one end of the floor to the other. While the wings extend from the edge of the keyway to the sideline for width.

One and Done Fast Break Drill Diagram 1

There are three defenders one the court matching up against each offensive player.

The aim of the One and Done Fast Break Drill consists of the three offensive players moving the ball from one end of the floor to the other.

Offensive players continue to create passing opportunities off the ball all the way down the floor by utilising leads, cut backs and changes of direction in movement. Each offensive player must stay within their designated lane.

Once an offensive player has the ball, they are only allowed to take one dribble. Because of this situation, players will have to become very effective in choosing when and how to use this dribble while working into a better passing situation for their teammates.

Defenders should look to bump and stay with their defensive assignment as close as possible.

The ball can be passed across lanes, skipped, and passed backwards initially.

Variation

If players are struggling to be able to work within the guidelines outlined, then additional dribbles can be afforded to the offensive players when trying to move the ball from one end of the floor to the other.

To provide a different aspect to the One and Done Fast Break Drill once the ball is passed into the three-point area at the opposite end of the floor players can then progress the drill into a 3 v 3 scenario. Players can move in any area. In this situation, the drill will finish either when the offensive team scores or the defensive players secure possession of the ball.

To help keep the One and Done Fast Break Drill fresh think about adding additional rules to the activity. for example:

The ball must be passed across each of the three lanes when advancing up the court.

Players can only utilise a certain type of pass

The One and Done Fast Break Drill looks to provide a challenge for players in performing a very simple task in moving the ball up the basketball court. Within many teams there are commonly seen issues in having all players on the court feel an urgency in taking part within a fast break. The One and Done Fast Break Drill looks to make this issue a thing of the past with all three offensive players needing to be very active in creating opportunities to advance the ball.

Poor passing will affect a team’s offense to no end. Having solid technique and confidence in decision making are just some of the ways in which power can be improved in a players passing (Photo Source: jaminotte)

Passing is one of the most commonly used offensive skills in basketball. All offensive systems from fast breaks, offensive transition, and all manner of half court offences all rely on passing to help create opportunities by shifting the ball and defenders. If a team’s passing is poor then as a result the team’s offense and points production will be affected negatively. A common issue when analysing what is going wrong with a team’s passing is identifying that players are not generating enough power to be able to take advantage of a situation or just get the job done of maintain possession.

There are some common areas of note when there is a breakdown technique which is leading to poor passing power. In starting however each player should have their own technique watched and reviewed so even the slightest corrections can be made and the overall performance of the group solidly improved.

Not Stepping Towards Target

The legs are where the initial power from a pass is generated. Players should start to build into their technique the habit of always stepping towards their intended target. This will allow the biggest muscle groups in the legs and core to be activated and the best possible kinesthetic flow to happen as a result of the power to be imparted into the pass.

Not Controlling Arms

For new players the focus in regards to arms and their positioning is all about the correct performance of technique. For senior or elite players it is about the individual respecting the need to do the small things right so the big things will more likely happen.

The correct technique should see the arms of the player pushing through or levering the ball only to finish with both (in push or baseball passing technique one arm) pointing towards the intended target. This ensure all the control and action of directing the ball finishes at the intended target.

Holding onto the Ball for too Long

Just before a player’s stepping foot hits the ground is when the most amount of momentum and energy will be generated. This is the time in which a ball should be released in the technique of passing.

By waiting until the lead foot has made contact with the ground will provide stability, but robs the player’s pass of extra energy which is generated. This can be a risk and reward situation that each coach will need to evaluate.

For players just starting out with the technique or those struggling with making the right choice when passing then maybe waiting until both feet are in contact with the ground can be the best option. However, challenging players with this technique will help them to achieve better results when passing if they can utilise maximum power while in “game like” situations.

Confidence

One of the intangible aspects of passing power is confidence. A player must feel comfortable with the knowledge that the intended passing option presented is the right one. Within a team’s offensive systems, there will be any number of different reads and choices to make. From these options, a player must select the best possible option. If a player is not confident in their identification of these options, they can become timid or only utilise a very narrow range of passing targets that will in turn limit the effectiveness of the offense.

All players on the court need to be aware of the possible options from any point during an offense. Understanding these breakdowns within each and every phase or play will assist in improving the percentage of completed passes, but also to the points as a result.

Having the right focus on what is need by a player when examining passing is vital for the improvement of a team’s possession and passes completed. While none of the points discussed above are that difficult to correct what they do demonstrate is very significant problems can have very simple beginnings.

The Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill provides an opportunity for players to practice high-paced passing with a game realistic situation to finish the drill. The Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill focuses on a dribbler being in the lead during a fast break situation. This type of set-up is very game realistic, especially for those teams that focus on using extended pressure. In these situations, the dribbler is often the stealer or deflector of the ball who reacts quickest because they are leading the offense. Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill looks to provide a scenario where all the help to the dribbler is behind the line of the ball and so making reads on the run as to what opportunities are available is highlighted from a different perspective.

The set-up for the Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill starts with three lines of players along the baseline.

Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill Diagram 1

The middle line starts with a basketball. The first player in the middle lane moves onto the court in front of the basket. One (1) then throws the ball of the backboard, rebounding and outleting to one of the wing players (Two or Three).

When Two (2) and Three (3) see One (1) throw the ball up to the backboard, they break onto the court and move into outlet positions of at least the foul line extended on each side of the court. A common problem in the early stages of the Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill is outlet players pulling up early and not reaching these positions.

The three players then pass the ball from one side of the court to the other as quickly as possible. No dribbling, only catching and passing on the run.

The ball is passed back and forth up to halfway. Then the next player in a sideline lane that receives the pass once over halfway becomes the dribbler attacking the basket in the front court.

In the diagram above Three (3) catches the ball and establishes a driving lane to the basket.

The player in the opposite sideline lane (Two) becomes the defender and sprints to establish a position blocking the dribblers lane to the basket.

The middle lane runner looks to fill a receiver spot for a good shooting position close the basket if needed.

Points of Emphasis for the Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill

The Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill really has two distinctive phases; in the back court the players are looking to hit positions (such as outlet) and then advance the ball as quickly as possible. In the front court (second phase) the players are looking to execute to either make the best possible scoring opportunity a reality or stop the shot

Players in the back court should be looking to advance the ball as quickly as possible; use time as well as passes to ensure this happens with a realistic sense of urgency

In the front court the primary scoring option is for the dribbler to make the lay-up

The secondary scoring option is for the trailing offensive player to perform a jump shot from the strong side elbow or lay-up over the front of the basket

Variation

To make the Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill a little more challenging any player who receives the pass over halfway becomes the dribbler (instead of the first player in a sideline lane). In this scenario, the player who makes the pass to the player over halfway becomes the defender.

The really great aspect of this variation is that it allows the drill to be changed constantly so to always provide a challenge to players.

The Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill looks to provide a number of different benefits for teams looking to improve their fast break or offensive transition scoring conversion. A simple drill but very effective in building confidence in players about when to push a scoring opportunity, and when to look for other possibilities. The greatest advantage a team and coach can obtain from using the Passing and Scoring Under Pressure Drill is that they become better at executing on the end of the floor that counts the most.